Applying for Funding

If you are interested in applying for funding and what to find out more, please watch the short film below and read the information on this page before then completing the application form at the bottom of the page. 

What are the Awards? Henry Morris had the idea to build Village Colleges around Cambridgeshire. When he died in 1961, his friends wanted a way to remember him so they set up these awards. You can apply for money to go on a trip, which you plan yourself, or you can do a project at home. It must be something that will help your learning or improve your confidence. Afterwards you will have to make a report to show us what you have done. Your report could be a film, a sketchbook or a PowerPoint, for example.

Who can apply? You have to be aged 13-19, and studying at a Cambridgeshire school or College, or you used to do so. You can apply on your own or in a small group.

If you are applying as part of a group, each of you has to do some of the work. Each of you must complete a separate application form. You all have to be able to come to talk to us in Cambridge on Saturday, 13th March 2027, unless there is a very good reason why you can’t.

If travel to Cambridge is a problem, we can assist with travel expenses. Please contact us for more information.

How much can you apply for? Awards are usually between £30 and £400 per person. You need to tell us how you might raise some more money in other ways. We hardly ever pay the full cost of what you want to do.

What we cannot fund: You cannot get money for something that has started before you apply. Projects have to be completed between April and September. We only support travel or projects that you have planned yourself. Adults must not help you with the planning. An adult can come with you, for safety, but we would not pay their costs. Things we don’t pay for:

• Gap years
• Foreign Exchanges
• School course work, like EPQs
• Holidays
• Trips organised by school, scouts, religious institutions, or sports clubs, etc.
• Expensive equipment that you will keep after the project, for example, cameras, laptops.

November – December	Work on your idea and plan your project. Read this page carefully and also look at the Past Reports page.
January	Fill in the Application Form online (you can find it below) and submit it by 31st January. We will be in touch after that, so please check your emails regularly and reply to them.
March	If we like what you have told us, we will ask you to meet us in Cambridge for an interview on the morning of Saturday,13th March 2027. Following this, if you are successful, we send the money straight to your bank.
April – September	You do your project.
September	You send us your project report by 30th September. You can see examples of past reports on our website, under ‘Past Reports’. (When you make your report, please use widely available software that doesn’t need a password.)

More information for Applicants

Before the Interview:

We believe in equal opportunities: we treat all applications the same and we don’t think about your background. We have never collected data about gender, ethnicity, etc., and we never will.

If you are applying as a group, 5 is the maximum number of people unless there are exceptional circumstances, which you should explain.

You have to tell us, on the form, if you have had an award from us before. We favour people who have not had an award before.

If you are under 18, make sure you have the full support of your parent / guardian. Without their endorsement of your application we will not consider it.

With your parent(s) you should think carefully about safety. Consider all the things you can do to stay safe. Decide whether you need to have insurance for your trip or project. If we decide to give you some funding, we are not saying that we recommend what you have decided to do.

When you are planning, please think about the planet (sustainability); for example, could you use the train instead of a car journey? Will you be able to recycle? We like projects where the students think about the environment.

We also like projects where students are active and get outside if they are able to do so. Henry Morris would certainly have approved.

At the Interview

If you are a group, please make sure that every member of the group can come to the interview, and you should all take part in the interview; we don’t just want to hear from one or two people.

Interviews take place in Queens’ College, part of Cambridge University. Parents can come with you to the college but are not allowed into the interview. If we choose you for an interview, we will send you details of where to come and the exact time of your interview.

If getting into Cambridge is tricky for you because it’s a long way and it’s expensive, please get in touch with us because we can help with the costs of travel to the interview.

If you have a clash of dates and you can’t come to the interview, please let us know in advance. If we are going to arrange a different date, you have to give us a very serious reason for not being able to attend.

After the Interview

If we give you an award, it is on condition that you will make a report on your project and send it to us by 30th September (send it to: [email protected]). If you don’t send us a report, we will ask you to return the money.

Unless you tell us otherwise, we will usually put your report on our website so that other students can see it in future and perhaps get some ideas from it.

When you are ready, you should complete the application form here:

And finally, if you are interested, watch the film below to hear about the project ideas from the 2018 applicants.